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WHO 


AN 

HISTORICAL 

SKETCH 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


Ninetieth  Anniversary 
1825-1915 


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THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


An  Historical  Sketch. 


On  May  12,  1915,  the  American  Tract  Society 
celebrated  the  ninetieth  anniversary  of  its  existence. 
This  notable  occasion  offers  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
a  review  of  what  has  been  accomplished,  and  in¬ 
vites  a  statement  as  to  the  possibilities  of  the  future. . 

The  object  for  which  the  American  Tract  Society 
was  founded  is  to  diffuse  a  knowledge  of  Christ  as  the 
Redeemer  of  the  World  and  to  promote  the  progress  of 
His  Kingdom  by  means  of  the  printed  page.  To  this 
object  the  Society  has  remained  true  through  all  the 
years  of  its  history,  and  it  still  maintains  this  high  aim 
as  the  one  purpose  of  its  existence. 

There  are;  two  agencies  by  which  God  has  pro¬ 
vided  that  His  saving  truth  shall  be  made  known  in 
these  latter  days — the  voice  and  the  press.  Whatever 
precedence  may  be  conceded  to  the  living  voice  on 
account  of  its  direct  appeal,  yet  there  are  certain  ad¬ 
vantages  in  favor  of  the  printed  page  which  cannot  be 
disputed.  It  does  not  challenge  the  spirit  of  contra¬ 
diction,  and  is  not  silenced  by  it;  but  it  quietly  holds 
forth  the  truth  as  a  permanent  light,  biding  its  time 
until  it  shall  receive  the  welcome  that  is  its  due.  It  is 
in  the  printed  page,  moreover,  that  the  choicest  utter¬ 
ances  of  the  human  voice  are  preserved  for  posterity. 
Besides,  one  of  the  most  effective  methods  of  work 
which  the  Tract  Society  has  adopted  is  to  commend 
the  printed  page  by  the  voice  of  the  colporter  .or 
Christian  friend,  thus  giving  to  both  press  and  voice 
their  fullest  influence. 

The  organization  of  the  American  Tract  Society 
was  a  result  of  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  early  years 

2 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


3 


of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  formation  of  the  Re¬ 
ligious  Tract  Society  of  London,  England,  had  stim¬ 
ulated  the  establishment  of  similar  organizations  in  the 
United  States.  Among  these  were  “The  New  York 
Religious  Tract  Society,”  organized  in  1812,  and 
“The  New  England  Tract  Society,”  organized  at 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  1814.  In  1823  this  latter  so¬ 
ciety  changed  its  name  to  the  “American  Tract  So¬ 
ciety,”  and  in  1825  it  became  a  branch  of  the  na¬ 
tional  organization,  which  was  then  instituted,  bearing 
the  same  name. 

FORMATION  OF  THE  SOCIETY 
The  American  Tract  Society  was  organized  in  the 
City  of  New  York  on  May  11,1  825.  The  design  of 
the  founders  was  to  establish  a  central  society  for  the 
whole  Union,  inviting  the  co-operation  of  Christians 
of  all  denominations,  and  of  dther  tract  associations 
as  auxiliaries,  in  publishing  and  circulating  whatever 
would  best  “diffuse  a  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Redeemer  of  sinners,  and  promote  the 
interest  of  vital  godliness  and  sound  morality,”  pro¬ 
vided  only  that  such  publications  should  be  “calculated 
to  receive  the  approbation  of  all  evangelical  Chris¬ 
tians.”  The  wisdom  of  thus  planting  the  Society  upon 
a  broad  evangelical  basis  has  been  abundantly  dem¬ 
onstrated  in  the  fact  that  over  a  score  of  different  de¬ 
nominations  have  been  represented  among  its  friends 
and  supporters. 

GREAT  PURPOSES  WHICH  IT  FULFILLS 
The  supreme  object  of  the  work  of  the  American 
Tract  Society  has  already  been  stated — namely,  to 
benefit  humanity  by  the  diffusion  of  the  saving  truths 


4 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


of  Christianity  through  the  medium  of  the  printed  page. 
In  attaining  this  end,  however,  several  subordinate 
aims  are  kept  constantly  in  mind.  Among  these  are 

the  following  specific  objects: 

The  Society  aims  to  preserve  for  lasting  usefulness 
the  best  works  of  the  writers  of  earlier  times,  such  as 
Bunyan,  Baxter,  Barrows  and  Legh  Richmond.  The 
writings  of  these,  and  of  many  more  who  might  be 
mentioned,  are  really  spiritual  classics,  worthy  of 
preservation  for  all  time. 

It  seeks  to  provide  an  appropriate  instrumentality 
by  which  the  choicest  thoughts  of  the  best  Christian 
minds  of  the  present  age  may  be  imparted  to  the;  world. 

It  endeavors  to  counteract  and  displace  the  flood 
of  evil  literature  poured  forth  in  the  interest  of  infi¬ 
delity,  licentiousness  and  crime.  The  most  effective 
antidote  to  a  bad  book  is  one  that  is  pure  and  uplift¬ 
ing.  It  is  the  constant  aim  of  the  Tract  Society  to 
abolish  trashy  literature  by  providing  something  in¬ 
finitely  better  to  take  its  place. 

The  Society  aims  to  provide  publications  suitable 

for  all  classes — not  for  Christians  alone,  but  for  in¬ 
quirers  and  for  those  who  need  to  be  awakened  from 
their  indifference.  It  aims  especially  to  issue  books 
and  tracts  that  shall  be  helpful  under  all  the  varying 
circumstances  of  life.  Its  publications  cover  the  whole 
range  of  human  experience,  from  the  lullabies  written 
for  the  little  ones  to  the  words  of  comfort  prepared  for 
those  who  have  reached  the  Beulah  Land  of  life. 

One  exceedingly  important  function  of  this  Society 
has  been  to  prepare  Christian  literature  in  many  lan¬ 
guages  suitable  for  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  immi¬ 
grants  as  they  land  upon  our  shores. 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


5 


Another  important  office  of  the  Tract  Society  has 
been  to  aid  by  means  of  foreign  cash  appropriations 
in  the  preparation,  publication  and  distribution  ot 
Christian  literature  in  the  vernacular  at  foreign  mis¬ 
sion  stations,  thus  furnishing  millions  of  copies  of  books 
and  tracts  for  world  evangelization.  # 

Another  useful  function  of  the  Society  has  been 
found  in  the  use  of  its  publications  as  an  aid  in  pro¬ 
moting  the  growth  of  Christianity  in  our  own  home¬ 
land.  Both  the  settled  pastor  and  the  Gospel  evan¬ 
gelist  have  found  in  the  issues  bearing  the  imprint  ot 
this  Society  most  helpful  material,  both  for  their  own 
personal  use  and  for  the  uplift  of  those  who  come 
under  their  influence. 

VARIED  METHODS  OF  WORK 
For  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence  the  American 
Tract  Society  devoted  itself  solely  to  the  printing  and 
circulation  of  tracts.  In  its  third  year  began  that 
development  which  has  since  culminated  in  the  produc¬ 
tion  of  a  body  of  Christian  literature  that  includes 
every  form  of  publication  adapted  to  the  wants  of 

the  Christian  public.  . 

The  first  volume  issued  by  the  Tract  Society  was 

“The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Religion ,”  by  Doddridge. 
This  was  quickly  followed  by  other  standard  works, 
such  as  Bunyan’s  “ Pilgrim's  Progress ,”  etc.  Since 
that  time  a  steady  succession  of  useful  and  timely 
books  have  been  issued,  among  which  are  numbered 
some  of  the  very  best  to  be  found  m  the  English  lan¬ 
guage.  Besides  books,  tracts  and  periodicals,  the 
publications  of  the  Society  now  include  cards,  hand¬ 
bills,  wall-rolls,  leaflets  and  booklets  of  every  descrip¬ 
tion. 


6 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


A  decided  impetus  to  the  work  of  the  Society  was 
given  in  its  fourth  year  by  the  adoption  of  the  plan  of 
Systematic  Tract  Distribution,  which  has  continued  to 
the  present  day — a  helpful  adjunct  to  the  work  of  the 
Society,  and  the  source  of  inestimable  benefits  to  un¬ 
told  numbers  of  human  souls. 

The  value  of  the  use  of  tracts  in  connection  with 
what  is  now  known  as  “personal  work”  was  early 
emphasized.  Harlan  Page  was  a  representative  work¬ 
er  in  connection  with  this  line  of  service,  and  his  efforts 
were  rewarded  with  large  success. 

The  Volume  Enterprise  was  a  feature  of  the  early 
years  of  the  Society’s  work.  This  was  an  attempt  to 
reach  every  family,  first  in  the  South  Atlantic  States, 
and  afterwards  in  the  West,  with  one  or  more  vol¬ 
umes.  As  a  result  of  this  and  other  practical  meth¬ 
ods,  by  the  seventeenth  year  of  the  Society’s  existence 
some  2,000,000  volumes  and  60,000,000  tracts  had 
been  put  into  circulation.  . 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  COLPORTAGE  IN  AMERICA 

The  next  important  step  in  the  history  of  the  Society 
was  the  introduction  of  Colportage.  The  existence 
of  a  great  mass  of  people,  living  in  lonely  regions,  un¬ 
reached  by  the  Churches,  and  devoid  of  all  the  spirit¬ 
ual  privileges  that  ordinarily  belong  to  every  well- 
established  community,  was  one  urgent  reason  for 
the  institution  of  colportage  work.  Another  motive 
was  found  in  the  existence  of  that  large  class  in  every 
community  who  will  not  go  to  the  churches,  but  to 
whom  the  Gospel  Message  must  be  brought  at  their 
very  door,  if  they  are  to  be  reached  at  all. 

These  and  other  potent  reasons  led  the  Society,  in 
the  spring  of  the  year  1841,  to  consider  the  urgent 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


7 


necessity  of  some  agency  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the 
neglected  and  needy  ones  of  this  land.  The  necessity 
was  deeply  felt,  and  finally  the  plan  of  colportage 
was  adopted  as  the  best  solution  of  this  problem.  The 
colporter  was  instructed  to  sell  or  give  his  books  and 
tracts  from  house  to  house,  presenting  Christ  as  the 
Saviour  to  all  whom  he  met,  and  seeking  to  lead  them 
to  Him  in  prayer.  The  expenses  were  met  partly  by 
the  benevolent  funds  of  the  Society  and  partly  by 
sales  of  books.  Eleven  of  these  self-denying  and  faith¬ 
ful  workers  were  commissioned  the  first  year,  23  the 
second  year,  76  the  third,  143  the  fourth,  and  before 
the  Civil  War  over  600  men  were  annually  employed 
as  missionary  colporters.  Though  the  force  has  varied 
numerically,  the  Society  has  never  ceased  to  employ 
this  agency  in  the  dissemination  of  its  Christian  litera¬ 
ture,  and  the  results  that  have  accrued  have  fully  jus¬ 
tified  the  wisdom  of  those  who  first  introduced  this 
fruitful  method  of  work. 

THE  BENEFITS  OF  COLPORTAGE 
The  good  results  accomplished  by  missionary  col¬ 
portage  can  be  summarized  only  in  part.  Many  of 
the  benefits  which  the  colporters  havq  brought  into  the 
homes  they  have  visited  cannot  be  enumerated  in  any 
formal  report.  The  records,  however,  show  that  dur¬ 
ing  the  past  year  59,431  volumes  have  been  distributed 
by  sale  and  grant;  the  total  number  of  meetings  held 
by  colporters  was  6,346,  and  the  number  of  families 
visited  was  202,877.  Since  the  organization  of  the 
Society  its  missionary  colporters  have  circulated  by 
sale  and  grant  a  total  of  17,326,937  volumes;  they 
have  made  18,406,676  family  visits,  and  they  have 
addressed  585,948  religious  meetings.  Colportage 


8 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


has  been  emphatically  a  pioneer  missionary  agency. 
It  has  met  the  wants  of  a  rapidly  advancing  popula¬ 
tion  where  no  churches,  schools  or  book  stores  ex¬ 
isted,  and  thus  it  has  proclaimed  the;  message  of  sal¬ 
vation  where  otherwise  it  would  not  have  been  heard. 
Colportage  has  also  proved  to  be  of  marked  efficiency 
in  ministering  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  special  classes. 
This  has  been  shown  in  the  work  among  the  immi¬ 
grants,  the  Mormons,  the  negroes  and  among  the 
Spanish-speaking  people  of  Mexico,  South  America, 
and  elsewhere. 

A  WIDE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  PERIODICALS 

The  periodicals  of  the  American  Tract  Society 
have  been  an  important  factor  in  its  work.  The  first 
to  be  established  was  The  American  Messenger ,  the 
official  organ  of  the  Society.  This  was  founded  in 
1  843  and  is  an  illustrated  monthly  paper  devoted  to 
the  upbuilding  of  Christian  character  and  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  Christian  living.  In  1847  the  American- 
ischer  Botschafter  was  established  for  circulation 
among  the  German-speaking  population.  In  1879 
Apples  of  Cold  was  founded  for  the  children  in  the 
home  and  Sunday  School.  In  1903  Manzanas  de 
Oro ,  a  counterpart  in  Spanish  of  Apples  of  Coldt  was 
established  for  circulation  in  Latin  America  and  other 
Spanish-speaking  parts  of  the  world.  Thus  the  So¬ 
ciety  issues  four  distinct  periodicals  which  take  rank 
with  the  foremost  of  their  class,  both  in  the  excellence 
of  their  contents  and  in  the  attractiveness  of  their  ex¬ 
ternal  features. 

The  ability  of  the  Society  to  meet  new  exigencies 
has  been  illustrated  on  many  occasions,  and  notably 
during  the  Mexican  War,  the  Civil  War,  the  Spanish- 


Colporter  Louis  Toth  and  his  Hungarian  Sunday  School 


10 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


American  War  and  at  the  present  moment  in  the 
great  European  War.  Special  missionaries  have  been 
employed  at  times  to  distribute  the  best  of  Christian 
literature  in  camp  and  on  shipboard.  New  publica¬ 
tions  of  great  merit  have  been  prepared  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  these  have  been 
scattered  broadcast  by .  chaplains  and  the  army  mis¬ 
sionaries  of  the  Society.  Special  editions  of  “77ie 
Soldier  s  Text  Book ”  have  been  prepared  and  sent  for 
distribution  among  the  soldiers  in  the  field  in  Europe  at 
the  present  time. 

The  adaptation  of  the;  Society  to  meet  various  needs 
is  illustrated  by  the  different  classes  among  which  its 
colporters  find  ready  acceptance  and  large  usefulness. 
Thus  it  has  colporters  at  work  among  the  negroes, 
the  Mormons,  the  immigrants  and  the  Spanish-speak¬ 
ing  population  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 

THE  CALL  OF  LATIN  AMERICA. 

Attention  is  being  called  to  the  spiritual  destitution 
of  what  is  popularly  known  as  Latin  America.  This 
contingency  finds  the  Society  amply  equipped  to  meet 
the  needs  thus  disclosed,  for  it  has  a  large;  and  valuable 
collection  of  Spanish  literature,  containing  the  essen¬ 
tial  truths  of  the  Gospel  and  fitted  to  lead  minds  dark¬ 
ened  by  superstition  into  the  light  of  a  pure  faith. 

Grants  in  aid  of  foreign  missions  have  been  an 
important  feature  of  the  benevolent  work  of  the  So¬ 
ciety.  These  grants  began  to  be  made  in  the  second 
year  of  the  Society’s  existence,  and  have  proved  a 
most  valuable  assistance  to  the  missionaries  on  the 
foreign  field. 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


1  I 


A  SPLENDID  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

Since  its  organization  the  Society  has  issued  9,117 
distinct  publications,  which  constitute  a  body  of  Chris¬ 
tian  literature  the  value  of  which  can  hardly  be  over¬ 
estimated. 

These  publications  embrace  every  variety  of  re¬ 
ligious  literature.  The  evidences  of  Christianity  are 
ably  presented  by  such  authors  as  Mcllvaine,  Keith, 
Schaff  and  Herrick  Johnson.  There  are  choice  biog¬ 
raphies,  such  as  those  of  John  G.  Paton,  Jerry  Mc- 
Auley,  Eliza  Brightwen  and  many  others;  missionary 
works,  such  as  “ Pioneer  Missionaries ,”  by  Rev. 
Charles  C.  Creegan,  D.  D. ;  books  for  the  Christian 
life,  such 'as  “Growing  Towards  God,”  by  Rev.  G.  B.  F. 
Hallock,  D.  D.;  “Heart  Life,”  by  Dr.  Theodore  L. 
Cuyler ;  helps  to  Bible  study,  including  a  splendid 
Bible  Dictionary  (revised  edition),  by  Rev.  W.  W. 
Rand,  D.  D.,  the  Self-Explaining  Bible,  a  Bible 
Readers  Guide,  a  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  and  many 
other  standard  books  of  the  greatest  helpfulness  to 
Sunday  School  teachers,  Bible  Institute  students  and 
all  others  interested  in  the  study  of  God’s  Word. 
There  are  many  attractive  books  for  children,  such 
as  “Songs  for  the  Little  Ones  at  Home,”  beautifully 
illustrated  and  adapted  to  the  youngest  readers.  There 
are  volumes  of  sermons  and  addresses  by  such  able 
preachers  as  Rev. David  J.  Burrell,  D.D.,  Rev.  Edgar 
Whitaker  Work,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Louis  Albert 
Banks,  D.  D,  and  many  others.  For  young  people 
there  is  a  host  of  volumes  by  such  authors  as  Mar¬ 
garet  E.  Sangster,  Amy  Le  Feuvre,  Annette  L.  Noble, 
Amos  R.  Wells,  Julia  McNair  Wright,  Hope  Dar¬ 
ing  and  Rev.  C.  A.  S.  Dwight.  Besides  all  these 


12 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


there  are  books  bearing  on  History,  Astronomy,  Geog¬ 
raphy,  Natural  History,  etc.,  each  book  having  been 
published  with  a  view  to  its  value  in  throwing  light 
upon  the  Scriptures  or  as  illustrating  the  workings  of 
God’s  providence. 

Among  the  publications  issued  from  the  home  of¬ 
fice  of  the  Society  are  books  in  over  a  score  of  foreign 
languages,  including  German,  French,  Italian,  Span¬ 
ish,  Portuguese,  Welsh,  Dutch,  Norwegian,  Hunga¬ 
rian,  Finnish,  Danish,  Polish,  Armenian,  Hebrew  and 
Chinese.  These  publications  are  of  inestimable  ser¬ 
vice  in  the  work  among  the  immigrants,  for  whom 
scarcely  any  other  Christian  literature;  is  provided,  but 
thousands  of  whom  are  thus  enabled  to  read  “in  their 
own  tongue  the  wonderful  works  of  God,”  and  to 
whom  the  message  of  the  Gospel  is  thus  presented  on 
the  very  threshold  of  the  new  land  which  they  have 
chosen  for  their  home. 

Of  the  Society’s  periodicals  a  total  of  295,460,1  68 
copies  have  been  issued,  the  entire  circulation  for  the 
year  just  completed  being  2,047,000  copies. 

Of  volumes,  a  total  of  35,01  8,1 40  have  beep  print¬ 
ed,  including  134,160  issued  during  the  year  just 
closed.  The  total  number  of  tracts  that  have  been 
issued  is  31  7,830,428,  of  which  915,000  were  pub¬ 
lished  during  the  past  year.  The  number  of  titles  of 
new  publications  issued  during  the  year  was  twenty- 
one,  of  which  eighteen  are  in  English  and  three  in 
foreign  languages.  The  grand  total  of  all  publica¬ 
tions  in  all  languages  issued  by  the  Society  from  its 
Home  Office  during  the  ninety  years  of  its  history 
amounts  to  791,142,050  copies. 


Distributing  Tracts  in  Hibiya  Park,  Tokyo,  Japan 


14 


THE  AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 


WIDESPREAD  GRATUITOUS  DISTRIBUTION 

The  value  of  the  Christian  literature  distributed 
gratuitously  by  the  Society  during  the;  past  year  is 
$15,439.05.  The  grand  total  of  free  distribution 
since  the  organization  of  the  Society  amounts  to 
$2,61  7,820.90.  Grants  of  publications  have  been 
given  to  missionaries,  chaplains,  pastors  and  Christian 
workers  of  every  description,  and  by  their  co-opera¬ 
tion  the  Society’s  literature  has  been  circulated  in  pris¬ 
ons,  hospitals,  Sunday  Schools,  missions  and  chapels, 
on  the  streets  of  the  city,  in  remote  and  lonely  hamlets, 
among  soldiers  and  sailors,  in  homes  and  churches,  on 
land  and  on  sea. 

IN  FOREIGN  LANDS. 

Besides  these  grants  made  on  the  home  field,  help 
has  been  extended  to  the  missionaries  on  the  foreign 
field  for  printing  Christian  literature  in  the  native  lan¬ 
guages  at  their  own  stations.  The  foreign  cash  appro¬ 
priations  for  the  past  year  amount  to  $2,600.00 
Since  the  organization  of  the  Society  foreign  cash  ap¬ 
propriations  to  a  total  amount  of  $796,137.39  have 
been  made  for  this  purpose.  Through  the  assistance 
thus  given  over  5,600  different  publications  have  been 
issued  abroad  in  1  78  different  languages,  dialects  and 
characters. 

UNITY  AND  OPPORTUNITY 

One  important  phase  of  the  work  of  the  American 
Tract  Society  is  its  interdenominational  character.  It 
emphasizes  Christian  Union  in  a  most  practical  way, 
and  its  influence  and  example  have  been  vital  factors 
in  the  growth  of  that  spirit  of  Christian  federation 
which  has  become  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of 
the  present  age. 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


15 


Great  as  has  been  the,  work  accomplished  by  the 
American  Tract  Society,  there;  now  open  before  it 
still  greater  opportunities  which  call  for  still  more 
strenuous  activities  and  also  increased  generosity  on 
the  part  of  both  Churches  and  individual  givers.  The 
recent  awakening  in  behalf  of  Latin  America,  for  so 
many  years  sitting  in  darkness,  even  in  the  valley  and 
shadow  of  death,  and  especially  the  call  for  a  greatly 
increased  supply  of  Christian  literature  in  the  Spanish 
and  Portuguese  languages  for  the  moral  uplift  and 
the  spiritual  enlightening  of  the  bruised  and  wretched 
peoples  of  South  America,  offer  the  Tract  Society 
opportunities  heretofore  unknown.  There  are  also 
popular  but  fatal  delusions  in  the  homeland,  and  the 
darkness  and  superstition  of  heathenism  abroad,  which 
demand  the  enlightening  teachings  of  the  Gospel.  To 
disseminate  these  teachings  in  many  languages  and 
dialects  has  been  for  ninety  years  the  one  aim  and  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  will  con¬ 
tinue  to  be  throughout  all  the  years  that  are  to  follow. 

During  its  entire  history  the  Society  has  been 
strengthened  and  encouraged  by  the  gifts  and  prayers 
of  a  great  multitude  of  devout  men  and  women.  The 
work  before  us  awaiting  accomplishment  is  both  so 
great  and  so  vital  that  only  through  complete  self- 
mastery  and  the  laying  down  of  all  at  the  feet  of  Him 
who  gave  Himself  for  us,  realizing  that  not  only  are 
we  His,  but  also  that  what  we  have  belongs  to  Him, 
shall  we  see  the  work  performed  and  behold  His 
Kingdom  coming  swiftly  among  the  nations. 

Donations  should  be  forwarded  to  Louis  Tag, 
Treasurer,  American  Tract  Society,  Park  Avenue  and 
Fortieth  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Life  Members  and  Directors 

The  donation  of  $30  at  one  time  constitutes  a  Life 
Member  of  the  American  Tract  Society  ;  the  addition 
of  $70,  or  the  donation  of  $100  at  one  time,  a  Life 
Director.  Life  Members  may  receive  annually  tracts 
to  the  value  of  $1;  Life  Directors  to  the  value  of  $2, 
if  applied  for  within  the  Society’s  year,  from  April  1st 
to  April  1st,  in  person  or  by  written  order.  No  in¬ 
dividual  can  draw  more  than  one  annuity  any  year  for 
himself.  Colporters  are  not  authorized  to  supply  Life 
Members. 


Form  of  Bequest 

I  give  and  bequeath  to  “THE  AMERICAN 
Tract  Society,”  instituted  in  the  City  of 

New  York,  May  1825,  the  sum  of . 

dollars  to  be  applied  to  the  charitable  uses 
and  purposes  of  said  Society. 

Three  witnesses  should  state  that  the  testator  de¬ 
clared  this  to  be  his  last  will  and  testament,  and  that 
they  signed  it  at  his  request,  and  in  his  presence  and 
the  presence  of  each  other. 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 

Park  Ave.  and  40th  St.,  New  York  City 


